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Share your story with us |
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If you are a cancer patient, or you know someone who is suffering from cancer,
or has recovered from this disease, then please
share
your story with us >>
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A True Survivor
- Sally Perry
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Hi! My name's Sally and I'm a survivor of breast cancer. I have lived in Oman for 23 years and I'm a teacher, working for the Ministry of Health.
Two and a half years ago I was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma of my left breast. I must admit that I had been a bit lax about examining my breasts each month, but I knew something was wrong when my left breast started to feel hard and uncomfortable. I couldn't feel a lump as such, but when my nipple started to look misshapen I really began to worry. I was diagnosed in the UK whilst on summer leave and had my surgery there, a mastectomy and axillary clearance. Thirteen of my lymph nodes contained metastatic carcinoma. Pretty scary stuff!
At first I wasn’t sure whether to stay in the UK for the rest of my treatment or return to Oman, but in the end I decided I would rather be with my husband and children (who were at school here) as I needed their support. I'm glad I did as my treatment (chemotherapy, radiotherapy and ongoing hormone treatment) and the staff at the oncology unit of the Royal Hospital have been excellent.
There's no denying that chemotherapy is a traumatic experience but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I was lucky that my radiotherapy was relatively easy. Somehow I managed to stay fairly positive, although there were times when I felt depressed, but my way of dealing with it all was to write a collection of poems about the whole experience, a catharsis for me.
They say that having cancer changes you and it's true that life will never be the same. For a start, I'm missing a breast, I worry about lymphoedema and recurrence, I have to do physiotherapy and take tablets every day, and I still seem to spend hours sat in hospital waiting rooms, waiting for those all important check-ups. But on a more positive note, I now worry less about trivial things, have a greater appreciation for family and friends and don't take each day for granted. I try to live in hope and try to remember:
Cancer sufferer
No way
Cancer survivor
Every day
Sally Perry
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